Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves set the league on fire. With the Timberwolves winning the game to extend the lead to 3-1, coach JJ Redick faced the wrath of the reporters for his infamous no-substitution policy in the 4th quarter.
Notably, he played his starting lineup for the entirety of the fourth quarter and didn’t bring in another player during that time. The Lakers’ fourth-quarter struggles continued, and they lost the advantage in the series.
Thus, with Redick bombarded with questions about the previous game and why he stuck with his starting lineup, he stormed out of the press conference, frustrated with the queries.
JJ Redick Storms Out of the Press Conference Following Lakers’ Struggles
In the interview, a reporter questioned his methods for not rotating the roster in the fourth quarter, which irked Redick as he couldn’t digest the question. He stated, “Are you saying that I’m inexperienced, and that was an inexperienced decision that I made? You think I don’t talk to my assistants about substitutions in every single timeout?”
JJ stormed out of his pregame press conference after a reporter seemed to question his substitution decisions in Game 4 😳
(via @DStarkand)
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 1, 2025
According to Elias Sports Bureau research, Redick became the first coach to use the same starting lineup in the fourth quarter since the substitution tracking dates back to 1998. Questions arose regarding players’ fitness and the ability to perform, but the Lakers still couldn’t get past the Timberwolves.
The five players, Luka Dončić, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith, played the entire fourth quarter and scored some points. However, it was not enough; the players only managed 19 points in the fourth quarter.
It became a failed experiment compared to the other quarters in which the Lakers scored 26+ points. It’s not the Lakers’ first struggle in the fourth quarter. Games 1, 2, and 3 had a similar trend.
Lakers Hopes To Get Past Their Fourth Quarter Struggles
Like Game 4, Game 1 saw the Lakers score 17 points. Although they managed to win Game 2, they scored just 13 points compared to the Timberwolves’ 20. Likewise, in Game 3, the Lakers scored 19 points. It’s crystal clear what the obstacle is.
Giving 12 minutes for the starting lineup in Game 4 caused the players to wilt to the end, and fans questioned the coach’s rotation policy. With Game 5 a win-or-go-home game for the Lakers, the fourth-quarter performance remains critical for the Lakers to get back to winning ways.
If not, they bow out of the playoffs, and Redick could face pressure for the substitution policy. Hopefully, this series goes to Game 6. Let’s wait and watch.
